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Baba Ganoush

Ingredients:

2 aubergines

2 garlic cloves

4 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

toppings: fresh coriander, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200 °C (392°F). Halve the aubergines lengthwise and cut the flesh crosswise without damaging the skin. Place the aubergine halves on a baking tray lined with baking paper with the cut side up. Sprinkle with coriander, cumin and salt (if required) and drizzle with oil.

Wrap the unpeeled garlic cloves together in aluminium foil and place between the aubergines. Roast together for about 35 minutes in the middle of the oven. Remove the aubergine and garlic from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze the lemon.

Scoop out the flesh from the aubergine halves and remove the garlic cloves with a sharp knife. Put the flesh of the aubergine, the garlic, 2 tbsp lemon juice and the tahini in a tall bowl and puree with a blender. Season with pepper and salt. Leave to cool completely for approx. 1 hour. Keep covered in the fridge until you use it.

Recipe and photo from: Ieke Booij

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Watermelon Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 watermelon, seedless and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cucumber

150 g vegan feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

5 strings fresh mint, roughly chopped

1 lime, juiced

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

Chop half of a watermelon and half a cucumber into chunks. Tip into a bowl with the leaves from a bunch of mint, and the vegan feta cubes (or crumbles).

Add salt, pepper, and juice of a lime and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo from: Ieke Booij

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Vegan Butter Tofu

Ingredients:

200 g tofu, in cubes

2 tsp freshly grated ginger

250 ml light coconut milk (1 cup)

1 red bell pepper

100 g cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp paprika powder

1 1/2 tomato puree

1/2 lime

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot - FODMAP friendly)

150 g basmati rice

2 tbsp (salted) cashew nuts (as topping)

2 tsp parsley or coriander (as topping)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180c. (356f)

Put the tofu cubes in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and spread the cornstarch on top. Mix and place the tofu cubes on the baking tray and bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Toss halfway through.

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Drain, add 50 ml of coconut milk and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and leave to stand.

Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and add coconut milk and fresh ginger with all the spices and tomato puree. Stir through and add the red pepper and pumpkin.

Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, add halved cherry tomatoes.

Remove the tofu from the oven and add it to the curry in the pan. Stir it well. If necessary, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with the rice, fresh lime, cashew nuts and garnish with fresh parsley or coriander. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo from: Ieke Booij

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Matcha Energy Balls

Ingredients 2 ripe bananas 2 dates 1 tbsp agave syrup 20 g dark chocolate 85% 1 tbsp sultanas 140 g oatmeal 2 tbsp matcha powder 2 tbsp cacao nibs 1 tbsp vanilla extract 4 tbsp grated coconut

Instructions

Blend the bananas, pitted the dates and put them in a food processor. Add the agave syrup, vanilla extract, oatmeal, matcha, cacao nibs and coconut grater. Then add the chocolate and sultanas.

Roll balls of the mixture with your hands and roll in the coconut. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Recipe and photo from: Ieke Booij

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Bibimbap

INGREDIENTS

BEEF BULGOGI

250 g beef, sliced into strips

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

Black pepper If you’re vegetarian, replace the meat with tofu or just use more mushrooms!

SAUCE

2 tbsp gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp sesame seeds, optional

OTHER INGREDIENTS

400 g cooked rice, preferably short-grain

1 carrot, peeled and julienned

1 zucchini, julienned

2 handfuls spinach

1 handful bean sprouts

5 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 eggs, fried

Sesame oil

Roasted seaweed, optional

Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook your rice, if you haven’t already. This works well with leftover rice too.

Prepare beef: combine all the ingredients for the beef bulgogi in a bowl and leave to marinate while you prepare other ingredients.

Make sauce: mix together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside

Prepare vegetables: In a pot of boiling water, blanch the bean sprouts and spinach separately and then dump the spinach in ice cold water to stop the cooking process and retain its colour. Squeeze the spinach of excess water and season with salt and sesame oil. Season the bean sprouts with salt and sesame oil as well.

In a pan with some sesame oil over medium heat, stir fry your carrot, zucchini, mushrooms separately until cooked through. Season to taste.

In the same pan, cook the marinated beef. Set aside

Assemble: there are 2 options – dolsot (making the rice crispy) or normal bibimbap.– Dolsot: brush your stone bowl with sesame oil and place some rice inside a bowl. Carefully arrange the vegetables, meat and mushrooms next to one another to cover up the rice. Place the sauce in the center and top a fried egg on top. Over medium heat, heat up your rice bowl for approximately 5-10 mins or until the rice on the bottom is nice and crispy. Crush roasted seaweed on top, mix and serve– Normal: Same as dolsot but without the sesame oil and heating process. Mix and serve immediately

Recipe and photo by: Lucie | butt.erhand

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Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

6 Mini cucumbers or Persian cucumbers

2 teaspoon salt to drain water

Dressing:

1 tablespoon Regular soy sauce

2 cloves Garlic minced

1 tablespoon Rice vinegar or white vinegar

1 tablespoon Chinese chili oil

1 tablespoon white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon Sesame oil

1 teaspoon Sesame seeds

2 tablespoon green onion finely sliced

Instructions

Wash cucumbers and cut off the ends.

Place one cucumber between two chopsticks that you don’t mind nicking up (like takeout chopsticks). Make thin diagonal slices on the top. Then flip the cucumber over and do the same on the other side. Then cut cucumber into halves. Repeat for remaining cucumbers. Transfer to a large bowl. Alternatively, you can thily slice your cucumbers too. *Refer to video below for better visuals. Note: Do not cut them in on a straight angle or the spiral will not work.

Sprinkle salt over cucumbers and gently massage into them. Let cucumbers soak in salt for 5 minutes (no more than 10 minutes or they will break down). Rinse with cold water at least 3-4 times to completely remove the salt. Strain and set aside.

Combine dressing ingredients in a separate bowl.

Pour dressing over cucumbers and gently mix.

Photo and Recipe by: Christie Lai

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes + Dip

Ingredients

6 Yukon gold potatoes

2 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp garlic powder

 cracked black pepper, optional, to taste (added paprika)

 olive oil, a drizzle to taste

6 servings Vegan Green Goddess Dressing (scroll down for this recipe)

Instructions 

In a large pot, add 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the yukon gold potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and allow the potatoes to cook for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes, until fork tender. 

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 400F (204c). 

Drain the water, and place the potatoes on the baking sheet dispersed at least 1 inch apart. Using a butter knife, make a soft slice about halfway through each potato. Then, using the bottom of a cup or a mug, smash each of the potatoes down. Season with salt, garlic powder and pepper as desired. At this time, you can drizzle with olive oil if desired for a more crispy potato, but it's not necessary. 

Place in the oven, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the potatoes are crispy. Enjoy with the PlantYou green goddess dressing

Ingredients (Vegan Green Goddess Dressing)

¼ cup parsley

¼ cup cilantro

½ avocado

1 clove garlic (replaced with freshly squeezed lime and lemon)

½ cup water (used less water for thicker sauce)

2 tbsp raw cashews

½ tsp sea salt

Instructions 

Add all ingredients to a blender and combine until smooth

Recipe and photo from plantyou.com

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Tropical Papaya Boat

1 ripe papaya 4 tbsp green smoothie (frozen banana, a handful of spinach, 2 ice cubes, 100 ml oat milk) 50 g blueberries 4 tbsp granola 2 tbsp goji berries 1. Make the green smoothie by adding one frozen banana, a handful of spinach, two ice cubes, and 100 ml water into a high-speed blender and blending until smooth and creamy. If the smoothie is too thick, add some extra water and blend again until the right consistency.

2. Then slice the papaya in half and scoop out the seeds.

3. Fill the papaya with the green smoothie mixture, then top generously with granola, blueberries and goji berries. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo from: Ieke Booij